San Dieguito schools shine in school rankings

ENCINITAS —- Schools in the San Dieguito Union High School District earned high rankings on state reports released Tuesday but showed significant gaps in proficiency among some demographic groups.

ENCINITAS —- Schools in the San Dieguito Union High School District earned high rankings on state reports released Tuesday but showed significant gaps in proficiency among some demographic groups.

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Since the launch of the Public Schools Accountability Act in 1999, San Dieguito schools have been top performers on state-mandated tests, and the latest release of data showed little change.

Seven of eight schools ranked in the top 10 percent of all schools statewide and the eighth, La Costa Canyon High School, ranked in the top 20 percent.

The district’s independent study campus, North Coast Alternative High School, did not receive a ranking because such a small number of students took the test, a district official said Tuesday.

Most of the schools also showed impressive numbers when compared with others that are considered similar.

The district serves 12,190 students in seventh through 12th grades at middle and high schools from La Costa to Carmel Valley.

None of the schools are listed as needing to improve in order to meet state academic targets. But California’s Standardized Testing and Reporting program sets performance requirements for sizeable demographic “subgroups,” which must show improvement at some San Dieguito schools, said Margie Bulkin, the district’s executive director of curriculum and instruction.

La Costa Canyon High School, for instance, is ranked in the top 20 percent of all California schools, the state reports show. The school’s three-digit ranking of 803 exceeds the minimum proficiency requirement of 800.

As subgroups, white students at La Costa Canyon received a ranking of 834; Latino students received a ranking of 636; impoverished students’ ranking was 635; and English learners earned a ranking of 578.

“The gap is wide,” Bulkin said.

All but the white subgroup of students, which has surpassed the state’s goal of 800, must show improvement, to varying degrees, or the school could face sanctions.

“At six of the nine schools we have significant subgroups that have to make significant gains,” Bulkin said. “Our discussions with principals revolve around that point.”

“Our board (of trustees) and superintendent want the attention to be spread for all kids,” she continued, “but the (state accountability program) forces our hand to look at allocating resources and intervention for those subgroups.”

The performance of subgroups is reflected in the “similar schools” rankings at some of the district’s campuses.

The similar schools category compares a school with 100 others with similar family incomes, ethnic makeups and parent education levels.

Diegueno and Earl Warren middle schools received top marks in both the statewide and similar schools category.

La Costa Canyon and San Dieguito Academy high schools, however, were ranked in the bottom 30 percent when compared to similar schools.

Academic powerhouse Torrey Pines High School fell in the middle of the similar schools ranking, even though all student subgroups exceeded state proficiency requirements.

Meeting those requirements is a meaningful goal, Bulkin said, but she added that one test on one day cannot fully represent a student’s abilities.

The state testing program doesn’t recognize a student’s work outside of class, class grades or work on special projects, she said.

“This is the result of one test students had to take during one week last spring,” Bulkin said. “Kids show measures of success in all kinds of ways, but our focus on (academic) standards is based on this one test.”